The 15th National Conference on Higher Education in Prison

Explore the conference schedule.

Check out our recommendations for things to do and places to see while you are visiting Cleveland.

The guide is at the bottom of the logistics page, linked below.

We've put together a social media toolkit to make it easy for you to share your conference experience online.

Here, you'll find ready-to-use graphics you can download and post directly to the social media platform of your choice, plus a couple of customizable templates you can personalize with your own photo. We're also running an Instagram contest throughout the conference with fun challenges like posting a Cleveland landmark, tagging a fellow attendee from your state, and sharing your favorite NCHEP memory.

NCHEP 15 will take place in the heart of downtown Cleveland.

The conference will be held at the Huntington Convention Center. Our primary conference hotel, Hilton Cleveland Downtown, is connected to the convention center. Our additional conference hotel, Marriott Downtown at Key Tower, is also steps away from the convention center. While the discounted room blocks are sold out, logistics information, including numerous lodging options, is available for attendees.

The inaugural NCHEP Film Festival at NCHEP 15 will spotlight stories of education, resilience, and transformation. Headlined by Road Trip Nation’s The Inside Scholars, the festival will also feature Being Free (Road Trip Nation), Degrees of Freedom, Knife Skills (TFL Films), and The Alabama Solution (HBO), plus a sixth film to be revealed onsite.

Continuing a longstanding NCHEP tradition, NCHEP 15 attendees will have the opportunity to participate in off-site site visits that bring conference themes to life. These visits will provide a closer look at higher education in prison, workforce partnerships, and training models in practice.

All site visits require advance application and confirmation, and the site visit interest forms are now closed.

Be sure to check out the other fantastic special sessions taking place Wednesday, April 8th!

Volunteers play an essential role in helping NCHEP run smoothly and creating a welcoming, supportive experience for attendees traveling from around the country. From greeting participants and supporting session rooms to assisting with logistics and special events, volunteers help bring the conference to life.

Thank you for your interest in volunteering at NCHEP 15, but the volunteer interest form is now closed.

We are able to offer a limited number of tables at NCHEP 15. Tabling provides organizations the opportunity to promote their work, share resources, and network with NCHEP attendees.

We encourage tabling organizations to provide free materials, resources, and/or swag, but selling items is also permitted.

Location and Setup
Tables will be located in the area outside the ballroom at the Huntington Convention Center, a central hub of the conference where attendees will frequently gather for general sessions, breakfast and lunch. It is also in close proximity to the breakout session rooms.

If selected to table, organizations will be able to staff their table for all or part of the day from approx. 7am - 5pm on both Thursday, April 9th and Friday, April 10th. More details will be sent to those selected.

If your organization is selected to table:

• We will provide: one table for your use.
• You will need to provide: any signage, banners, or additional materials for your display.

Please complete the interest form linked below by Friday, February 27th.

Last year at NCHEP 14, we took advantage of the field gathering in one place to highlight the voices and ideas that shape our work through short video interviews. You can watch the resulting videos in our Perspectives from NCHEP 14 series on YouTube. You may have also seen these videos shared on our social media.

This year, we invited conference attendees to express interest in participating in video interviews during the conference, but the interest form is now closed.

We are offering a limited number of financial aid packages for NCHEP 15. We value our community’s attendance at our biggest event of the year!

Financial aid applications were due October 19th and are now closed.

Presentation proposal submissions were due October 19th and the CFP is now closed.

The application to be a reviewer for NCHEP 15 was due October 10th and the Call for Reviewers is now closed.

NCHEP 15 will be an in-person conference in Cleveland, Ohio, except for those who are currently incarcerated. Virtual attendance via Zoom will only be possible for currently incarcerated presenters during selected events.

We know that travel isn’t possible for everyone, and we do our best to make our events as accessible and accommodating as we can. At this time, however, the audiovisual and staffing requirements for a hybrid conference make it cost-prohibitive. By focusing our resources on the in-person experience, we can keep the conference more affordable, provide some financial aid opportunities, and ensure high-quality programming for all attendees.

The NCHEP Planning Team will make every effort to support accommodation requests and the full participation of all attendees. You will be able to request accommodations during the registration process.

Registration for NCHEP 15 is open until March 25th.

This year, by hosting the conference at the Huntington Convention Center, we will be be able to accommodate more attendees than in previous years. That said, we encourage all those interested in attending to register as soon as possible to secure a spot.

Registration fees for NCHEP 15: 

• Pay It Forward Rate - $875 (For those who can afford to pay, this rate will help subsidize the cost of student pricing and financial aid awards)
• Solidarity Rate - $550 (The standard rate for NCHEP 15)
• Student Rate - $325 (For students currently enrolled in an educational program - only 100 tickets will be available at this rate)

Over the past several years, the Alliance has worked hard to keep NCHEP registration fee rates stable, even during times of inflation. As this convening has grown to welcome nearly 1,000 attendees in 2023 and 2025, the event has also become more complex to plan and host. In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of this now-annual event, we’ve made the difficult but necessary decision to increase registration fees this year. This adjustment will help us cover the true costs of hosting a conference at this scale, offer financial aid awards, and ensure the continuation of this gathering that supports and strengthens the field for years to come.

We are encouraging attendees to consider arriving in Cleveland on April 7th to be able to attend special sessions on April 8th, and departing from Cleveland on April 11th.

In order to get the full conference experience, we recommend that attendees not travel on conference days.

While the discounted room blocks are sold out, logistics information, including numerous lodging options, is available for attendees.

These terms and conditions include our registration refund and transfer policies, information about photography and video recordings, and how registration information may be shared.